


Don't Let Go

by Kit_Amongst_The_Pigeons



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family Feels, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 07:42:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20422367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kit_Amongst_The_Pigeons/pseuds/Kit_Amongst_The_Pigeons
Summary: Sirius and Remus fight for their boy.





	Don't Let Go

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-Posted from my tumblr: https://kit-amongst-the-pigeons.tumblr.com/post/173522247357/there-are-many-many-reasons-why-i-wouldve-wanted
> 
> No Beta.

Sirius was completely out of his element, which didn’t happen often (Remus scoffed when he mentioned this, taking a moment to remind him that when they’d first kissed, Sirius had blushed to his roots and stuttered for the next hour). They were wandering, hand in hand, through the shopping centre towards where they hoped Minnie would be waiting with Harry. Unfortunately, the muggles would be there too, but that couldn’t be helped.

It was decision time.

Sirius knew that they were the best people for Harry to live with; he’d known it ever since he had found Lily in the Gryffindor common room crying after what Petunia had said to her. He had joked with her and commiserated over shitty siblings until she had smiled just a little bit. But he had vowed then that no member of his family would ever have to deal with those bastards. That was more true than ever now.

“I can hear your thinking from over here, Pads,” said Remus, pulling him out of his memory.

Sirius smirked and tugged him closer by their interlinked hands. Remus bumped into his hip against Sirius’ and smiled.

“Can’t you wait until we’ve got Harry before you celebrate by snogging me senseless?”

“We may never get another moment to ourselves,” laughed Sirius, pressing kisses along Remus’ jawline wherever he could reach, “although I’m sure that Andromeda would look after him for us sometimes.”

“I swear your only after me for my body,” said Remus with a laugh, “but that’s fine, I’m in it for yours.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Sirius waggled his eyebrows, but cave in and laughed first, tucking his head into the crook of Remus’ neck as he did.

“Come on, we’ll be late,” said Remus after a moment of enjoying his boyfriend’s hot breath against his neck.

**

Petunia and Vernon Dudley were out of their element. They would never have normally graced such a dingy place with their presence, but they had been requested to meet some people here to officially relinquish their claim on guardianship of her sister’s child. To get out of having anything to do with that boy, they would come to this awful place.

Vernon strode ahead and Petunia scuttled along behind him, glancing around her in case someone she knew would spot her. They were prepared to be stood up, but as they arrived in the food court, they saw the lady that they were supposed to be meeting, with a baby on her lap.

“Right, let’s get this over with then,” said Vernon, slumping into the only chair opposite them, forcing Petunia to drag one from another table, “where do we sign?”

“I’m afraid that’s not how this works,” said McGonogall, already appalled by the way that this couple was acting, as if Harry were some burden that they could not wait to cast aside, “we need to have a discussion about the appropriate guardians for Harry, and then we will sort out the legalities of him crossing the boundary back into the muggle world if that becomes an issue.”

Vernon grunted to indicate that he had heard, but Petunia decided that now was the moment to stick her oar in.

“A discussion with who? We’re the only family that he has left.”

“Actually,” said Sirius, who had arrived just in time to hear that last comment, “as a bonded brother of both his parents, and his godparent, I too am considered family by wizarding law.”

Petunia looked round to see a tall man, with long, black hair which draped just so over his shoulders, which were clad in a tight, black leather jacket. As he tucked the hair behind one of his ears, she made note of the multiple piercings there, and her nose wrinkled up with disgust.

“You can’t just run off on me because you see Minnie,” said another male voice, “I don’t care if you love her more.”

McGonogall hid her smile behind a hand as Remus grabbed two chairs from a neighbouring table and brought them over, flopping into the one furthest from them so that Sirius could sit next to Harry, who was already reaching for the familiar face.

“It’s nice to meet you, Petunia,” he said, “Lily always regretted how things ended between you. I’m sorry that the war took her before she had a chance to mend that bridge.”

“We didn’t want to build a bridge between our perfectly respectable life and that freak,” spat Vernon, his face going red and his hands curling into fists on his thighs, “the best thing that ever happened to the Evans family was getting rid of her.”

“Your loss was our most happy gain,” said Sirius, attempting to be polite, lest Remus stamp down with the foot that was currently gently resting on top of his.

Vernon simply made a noise of disgust in the back of his throat.

“That man she married as well, could you imagine anyone worse. A… wizard of all things. That just sounds like he didn’t have a job.”

“I suppose so, unless you count fighting for his country to be a job, in which case…” Remus trailed off.

“Well… I… the way he looked though with all of that hair that he never brushed, like a dog.”

“Oh yeah, it was the hair you had an issue with,” said Remus, rolling his eyes, “because you were so not bothered by the fact that he was Indian?”

“Remus,” said Sirius, looking across at him with one raised eyebrow.

“You’re right, love.” He turned back to Vernon. “I apologise.”

Vernon didn’t respond, just looked between the two men with incredulity. Petunia clutched at his arm, desperate to calm him down before he yelled at the men, but he simply yanked his arm from under her touch.

“I didn’t like to say, but he didn’t exactly look like my sort of a person,” he managed to spit out.

Remus wanted to drop his head into his hands – he was almost sure that the man didn’t mean that as an insult and actually thought that it might keep the peace. Unfortunately, Sirius was sitting right there, and not only had he just insulted James, but he had basically admitted that he would treat Harry no better if he were left in their care.

“Well, no, I imagine that your kind of person looks a lot more like old Mouldywart, but that’s by the by,” said Sirius, “although, just so you know, if I thought that you could in any way defend yourself, I would have challenged you to a duel for that last sentence, so watch yourself.”

Seeking a change of pace and a diffusion of the tension that was crackling through the air, McGonogall decided to order everyone a coffee, which she paid for to the amazement of members both parties (Sirius because he’d never thought that those pieces of paper could be exchanged for anything and Vernon because he had assumed that she would quibble over the bill, or ask him to pay all together).

They sat mostly in silence until the coffee arrived, only the sounds of Sirius murmuring to Harry to break the unease that had settled like a blanket of snow over the table. Once the hot drinks were on the table, Vernon and Petunia started drinking immediately, for something to do with their hands, Remus supposed. He took his thoughts off the people in front of him and turned them to Sirius, who was reaching for his drink over Harry’s head.

“Sirius,” he said, tone gentle, “give Harry back to Professor McGonogall first, please.”

“You’re such a worrier,” said Sirius, even as he did what Remus asked, planting Harry back on her lap with a last tickle and picking up his mug, which he instantly spilled over the edge of the mug and onto his white shirt.

“You were saying?” smirked Remus, “you’re always so messy.”

“Only outside the bedroom,” said Sirius with a wink, though his flirting was undercut by him fumbling with his wand to siphon the coffee off his shirt before it stained.

Remus rolled his eyes, but McGonogall could see that he was fighting back a fond smile. Just as well, she thought, that boy doesn’t need any more encouragement.

“I’m gonna have to take it off,” said Sirius, “to treat the burn.”

“No taking your shirt off in public, you know that,” he leant in close to Sirius’ ear and continued in a whisper, “if you stop being such a wuss now, I’ll kiss it all better later on. Or take your mind off it at least.”

Sirius’ jaw went a little slack and he bit his lower lip to stop himself from kissing Remus right there and then.

Petunia watched the two men interact, torn between the disgust that she knew that she should be feeling, and a deep ache for that kind of connection. Vernon on the other hand was slowly turning puce and he had begun to stutter.

“A-are you… are you homosexuals?” He manged to get out in the end, startling both the men and McGonogall.

“No, I just whisper in the ear of all my friends to make them blush,” said Remus, “and offer to raise kids with them.”

“No family of mine is going to be cared for by two faeries,” said Petunia, finding her voice again.

“He’s not your family,” said Remus, “you basically said as much earlier, and you don’t want him. We do. James and Lily would have wanted that.”

“They don’t get a say. Stupid enough to be killed in their own homes.”

Remus and Sirius were on their feet. It hadn’t been a conscious move, but they had made it simultaneously, a wolf pack, acting on pure instinct. Both men were growling low and menacing as they stared at him, unblinking. McGonogall hadn’t moved from her seated position, but had somehow, without dislodging Harry, managed to get her hand on her wand and had it pointed directly at Vernon’s face.

“How dare you?” she practically spat, “they were war heroes and they died far too young, betrayed by a friend. They were everything to this little boy and they meant a great deal to me too, not to mention those two.”

Vernon had pushed his chair back the minute that he had realised his mistake – too late to stop himself, but nevertheless.

“Get out. Now.” Remus hadn’t raised his voice at all, but Vernon felt a primal chill raced up his spine, shivers following it as he fought the urge to run away.

Instead he got to his feet, and walked away, not even looking back to see that his wife was following.

“Thank Godric,” said Sirius, slumping back into his seat, “I thought that they were never going to get the message that we wanted them gone.”

“Hard to believe that woman is related to Lily,” said Remus, “with all the fire of a pile of mouldy leaves.”

Sirius laughed, throwing his whole head back as he did. Unfortunately, Remus’ shoulder was already occupying that space, so he whacked his head off it, which just made him pout. Remus leaned over and kissed the pout away.

“You, Sirius Orion Black, are a menace,” he laughed, “but I love you, Merlin help me.”

“Boys, you need to actually formally make the request,” said McGonogall, though she was smiling at their antics – after all, the war was over. Now was the time for this kind of love.

“Minnie, I formally request that the … orphan, Harry Potter, be given in all legal terms to the Noble and most Ancient House of Black, as is my right as the sole heir of the House of Black and the only brother of his father, James Potter, member of the Order of the Phoenix, and that in all ways he should be considered the adopted son of Lord Sirius Orion Black and his partner, Remus John Lupin.”

“I, Professor Minerva McGonagall, representative here on behalf of Professor Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, do hereby declare Harry Potter the ward of Lord Sirius Black and his partner Remus Lupin. Do your best by him, in all ways for all days.”

Sirius felt the prickled of the magical bond spread across his skin and smiled as Minnie handed Harry over to him.

Remus stared across at the picture that they made – it reminded him of the first time that they had met Harry, but at the same time, his heart sank to know that it was just the three of them now. How odd it was to feel so full of love and so empty of everything at the same time. When he left his own reverie, he found Sirius looking at him, understanding and love across every feature.

“Minnie,” said Sirius, looking at her, “we’d best be off. Love you buckets but of course, my proposal is off now since I bagged this hunk.”

She ducked her head to hide her smile, but it didn’t really work.

“Until next time, Sirius, Remus. Take care of yourselves and that boy.”

And with that, the family that always was became the family that would continue to be, and apparated away.


End file.
